


Keith and Lance's Scrapbook (Is Entirely Full of Dog Pictures)

by Zurela



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dogs, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, a little bit of angst but mostly fluff, allura makes a brief appearance, just a lot of good times with boys and dogs, the whole thing is dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 09:58:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12554908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zurela/pseuds/Zurela
Summary: Keith follows a pretty straightforward routine after moving to a new city. Work all night, go for a morning jog, sleep, then find something to keep himself busy until it's time to work again. It's not exciting, but it works.Everything changes because of a dog, and the cute guy sitting with it.Keith loves dogs.





	Keith and Lance's Scrapbook (Is Entirely Full of Dog Pictures)

**Author's Note:**

> Whoaaaa I'm back! And I'm here with fluff! And dogs! And fluffy dogs! I've been working on this for a bit, and had some other stuff planned first, but my best friend needed something good so this was the result. Besides, I owe it to her since I killed our snap streak. So, thanks to my mistakes, enjoy some dogs!

His life started when he went for a jog.

Well, maybe not. This surely wasn’t where his whole life started; there had been plenty before this. Plenty of fun, plenty of loved ones, plenty of work and laughter and spirit.

There was also plenty of struggle. And plenty of tears, and frustration, and anger, and loss. Plenty of goodbyes.

His life does not start when he went for a jog, but maybe a new one does, somewhere small inside of him.

Keith doesn’t know this town very well. He knows one person, his old friend Shiro, who works at a tech company in the next city over. His job is okay; just okay, but it is a job. It was never his dream to work late nights at the diner down the street, but when you start your life over, you take what you can get. The plus side to sleeping most of the day and working most of the night is having the quiet mornings free. The park nearby has plenty of winding trails, perfect for watching the sunrise while trying to outrun the thoughts in his head, the air just cold enough to bite a little.

There’s typically not many people there. It’s nearly summer, and everybody is itching at the chance to be a little lazy. Maybe there’s an occasional runner or biker that Keith passes along the way. He recognizes most of them by now; only a few people are crazy enough to be out running at this hour. Otherwise, though, he can enjoy the silence and solitude.

Maybe that makes him sound too antisocial. And, well, maybe he is. But one day, on the same jog he goes on every morning, a new face enters the mix.

Normally, that wouldn’t mean much. Not everyone is familiar to him, and most people seem to relish in the quiet and the pink glow of the morning sun just as he does. Only this is the most beautiful face he’s ever seen, and Keith can’t help but pause. Dark eyes, shining coppery hair, and Keith swears he sees a smile aimed his way.

It’s a golden retriever.

Not just a golden retriever, but the prettiest golden retriever he’s ever seen. The dog returns his gaze, its tongue flopping out the side of its mouth as it sits beside a bench with a young man on it.

Screw peace. Screw solitude, or quiet contemplation. Keith has to pet that dog _right now_.

Before he realizes it, he has diverted off the path to jog up to this stranger. He seems to be reading something, but his head perks up when the dog beside him sits up, and he finally notices Keith.

They both just stare for a moment before Keith remembers why he even came over here. 

“Can I pet your dog?”

The guy smiles and shuts his book, and Keith glances to the side. It’s a book about sharks. Keith loves sharks.

He pats the spot next to him on the bench, so Keith sits beside him. The dog immediately jumps up and climbs onto Keith’s lap for optimal pets. It’s the complete opposite of a problem.

The stranger next to him disagrees. “Hey, no climbing on people without their consent! Get down!”

Keith laughs. “It’s okay, I really do love dogs. That’s kinda why I came over here.”

“Yeah, I figured,” he agrees with a smile. “It was really more about him than you. He shouldn’t be jumping around like that.”

Keith continues to pet the dog, nudging it back down when it begins to climb back up. The owner just sits quietly, occasionally reaching over but seeming content to just watch.

“Sorry if I interrupted you, by the way,” Keith adds after a few minutes. “I saw that you were reading, and I know most people only come out this early for some peace and quiet. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

The guy smiles. “I get it, you do what you have to in order to pet a dog. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t have done the exact same thing.”

They sit there in silence for a few more minutes, enjoying the growing warmth of the rising sun. Bird calls begin to fill the air as the world starts to wake up, the last remnants of bright pinks and oranges leaving the sky.

“I have a confession to make,” the guy blurts out.

Keith’s stomach drops. What could this total stranger possibly have to confess already? They’ve been talking all of ten minutes.

“This isn’t my dog.”

“What?” Keith questions, and whirls to face the guy. “What do you mean, this isn’t your dog? Did you find it somewhere?”

“No!”

“Did you steal it?”

“No, are you serious? I could never steal a dog. That’s like stealing someone’s child.”

Okay,” Keith relents, “then what do you mean?”

The (not) owner of the dog grins sheepishly. “It’s my friend’s dog. I’m taking care of him while he’s away.”

He laughs, rubbing the dog behind the ear. “I honestly can’t believe he let me do it, though. Hunk and Jeffrey hate being separated.”

Keith chokes back a laugh. “The dog’s name is Hunk?”

The guy looks to him in confusion. “Huh? Oh. No. Hunk is the friend. Jeffrey is the dog.”

Keith can’t hold back his laughter quite as well this time. “The dog’s name is _Jeffrey_?”

“Yeah,” he says with a fond smile. “He’s on a lot of medication.”

The dog turns to Keith then, his tongue flapping against his face in the process. Keith doesn’t think he’s seen this dog’s tongue not dangling to the side since he sat down.

“That makes more sense.”

“You see, I didn’t want to be found out,” the guy continues, “when I asked you out for coffee and there was no dog.”

Keith freezes for a moment, running the words over in his head to make sure he didn’t mishear. He smiles. “A bit of a let down, but I’ll manage.”

“Cool,” the guy says with a smile in response. “I’m Lance. What’s your name?”  
__________

The coffee shop is small, but quiet, which is always welcome for Keith. Even after his surprising conversation with Lance the other day, he still doesn’t see himself as much of a people person.

Lance isn’t there yet. Keith has only met him once, but even still he is not surprised. It’s almost a relief, since Keith is pretty sure this is a date, and he hasn’t really been on one of those before. Does he wait outside? He already came in, so leaving now would make him look silly. Should he order, or wait until Lance gets there? Should he save a table?

Luckily, he doesn’t have to ponder it long, since Lance chooses that moment to come bounding in like he owns the place. He pauses to hold the door behind him, and just as Keith thinks someone else is about to enter behind him, in walks-

A dog.

A different one this time. This one is a corgi, with white patches spotting its golden fur. Just like last time, this dog isn’t restrained. It has a leash, sure; it’s just dangling behind it, dragging across the floor. The dog follows Lance in a happy trot, either unaware of its ability to run off or simply lacking the desire to be anywhere else.

Just like Jeffrey, the corgi seems to have a smile on its face, so Keith guesses the latter is correct.

Keith likes to think that he hasn’t really dated because he has high standards. At least, that’s what he tells Shiro anytime he asks. Lance continues to walk towards him with a glowing smile on his face. His button down shirt matches his eyes, and Keith realizes for the first time how cute he actually is. The dog continues to follow in their parade of two, and is Lance really just that good with dogs?

_Oh god,_ Keith thinks. _He’s meeting all of my standards._

“Lance!” a voice calls from across the counter on the other side of the shop. A tall woman with long white hair is glaring at him and pointing a can of whipped cream in his direction. “I told you, no dogs in the store unless they’re on a leash.”

Lance throws his arms wide in exasperation. “She’s on a leash!”

The barista rolls her eyes. “The concept of a leash implies that you _hold_ the other end, dummy.”

“She likes to walk herself! I’ll grab it if I need to.”

The girl rolls her eyes but resumes her work with a sigh. Lance turns back to Keith with a devilish grin. “That’s Allura. She’s secretly in love with me, so I’m sure she’s just jealous that I’m here with someone else.”

Keith smirks. “Oh, is that so? I guess I’ll have to go make friends with her so she can tell me _all_ about you.”

Keith moves to stand then, but Lance leaps across the table, startling the dog at his feet, in an attempt to grab his arm. “No, no, that’s not necessary! I doubt she has any good stories to tell.”

“Yes I do,” she calls, eyes still directed downwards to the coffee machine in front of her.

Lance glares at her, but Keith sits back down. “So, if you’re trying to charm me, why choose the one coffee shop with the barista who can easily embarrass you?”

“It’s the only place nearby that lets you bring dogs in,” he says, leaning down to feed a treat to the corgi on the floor. “Plus the coffee here is really good. And I know Allura _could use the tips_.” His voices raises in volume as he shoots a pointed look back to the counter.

She whirls around and a bright smile crosses her face. “Lance! Have I ever mentioned that you’re my best friend in the world?”

Lance huffs. “That’s what I thought.” He turns back to Keith and points to the counter. “Did you look at the menu yet? Know what you want? It’s on me.”

Keith throws his hands up in a defensive position. “No, you don’t have to,” he says, suddenly flustered. It’s easier not to think of this as a date if he pays for himself, even if he wants it to be one. He’s not used to this, and maybe it’s better not to be.

“Nope, too late!” Lance calls as he stands up. “I’m going to order now anyways, so you’ll have to watch Sheila. If you don’t tell me what you want now you’re getting black coffee, so I’d hurry up and decide.”

Keith leans over in his seat to read the menu. “Dark chocolate mocha with caramel and whipped cream.”

Lance turns around to stare at him, but shrugs and proceeds walking to the counter. The dog, who is apparently named Sheila, sits up and stares at Keith, practically willing him to pet her. Keith happily obliges.

He’s still lost in puppy town when Lance comes back, drinks in hand. “I gotta admit,” he says as he sits back down at their small table, “I didn’t take you for a sugary drinks kind of person. I only said black coffee because you seemed like the type to order it that way anyways.”

Keith shrugs. “Coffee is too bitter on its own.”

Lance blanches as his head whips up from his drink. “Oh- do you not like coffee? You should have said, we could have-”

“No, it’s okay!” Keith says. “I do like coffee, it just has to have a lot of sugar in it. You can’t work night shifts at a diner without coffee, no matter how much sleep you get. I just like sweet things.”

Lance gives him that same stupid grin, with the same quirk of his eyebrow. “No wonder you like me so much.”

Keith rolls his eyes. “I don’t know if I’d say that. Maybe it’s all about the dogs. Speaking of which, who is this?”

Lance glances down to the floor, where Sheila is eating a muffin. “Oh, she belongs to my neighbor. I ran into her in the hall today, and I guess she was running late. Said she overslept and didn’t even have time to take her dog out this morning. I figured I could help out, since I was already going out, you know?”

Keith smiles. “How courteous of you.”

Lance leans forward. “Joke’s on her, though,” he whispers. “She thinks I’m trying to be polite, but I just get to hang out with this super cool dog.”

Sheila perks her head up once she finishes her muffin, looking to Lance for more. When Lance shakes his head no, she turns to Keith with the same expression. And okay, he can’t deny that. He dips his finger into the whipped cream on top of his drink and sticks it out, letting the dog lap it up.

“You know,” Lance says. “My neighbor will be gone all day, and Sheila hasn’t been on her walk yet. What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

Keith smiles. “I don’t have any. Yet.”

“Cool!” Lance says with a bright grin. “Want to join me?”  
__________

Lance says he has a surprise, and Keith is really terrified of that coming from him. There’s a blindfold over his eyes, which feels a little excessive since Lance has been driving for at least 20 minutes now and Keith has no idea where anything is outside of a two block radius of his apartment.

“Almost there,” he assures, patting Keith’s hand. It’s supposed to be a gesture of comfort, but Keith startles at the unexpected contact.

“This had better be good,” Keith says with a grimace. He knows it probably will be, it must be if Lance is this excited, but there’s still an edge to his voice. He doesn’t like surprises.

“Okay, we’re here! You can take off the blindfold.”

Keith pulls it off slowly, trying and failing to keep the fabric from knotting in his hair, and finds them sitting in the middle of a parking lot. There’s a few other buildings around, but none of them are distinguishable, and only a few other cars are in the parking lot. 

Keith sighs. “You’re going to murder me here, aren’t you.”

“No!” Lance insists, jumping out of the car. He taps on the glass of the driver’s side window, pointing at Keith and using his breath to fog up the glass and draw a smiley face. “Let’s go,” his muffled voice calls out.

Keith sighs, climbing out and slamming the door behind him. Lance _knows_ he doesn’t like surprises. Last time he tried something like this, Keith nearly-

Wait.

What is all that noise?

Keith pauses, but Lance keeps marching forward insistently so Keith just follows. The door is propped open on the building, but there’s no marking on the building and the sign out front faces towards the road, so he has no clue what this place is. It sounds like someone is in a screaming match with a chainsaw. Keith looks around once more to make sure there’s no crazy hitmen around before stepping inside.

The building is full of dogs.

_Full_ of them. Round metal pens full of puppies sit in the middle. Cages of all sizes line the walls, with a huge variety of dogs inside. People stand around the room, some with puppies in their arms, others with dogs on leashes at their feet. Keith swore this was going to be a nightmare, whatever it was, but _this_...

This is a dream. This is dog heaven now.

Lance turns to him with the biggest smile Keith has ever seen, on him or anyone else. “It’s clear the shelters day, so the humane society was having a huge event.”

Keith is too awestruck to respond, so he just glides forward, as if floating, to the pen of bulldog puppies chasing each other around. When Keith approaches, they immediately flock to him, all competing for his attention. He is all too happy to give it.

Lance follows, sinking to the balls of his feet beside him. “Well? What do you think? Was this a good surprise?”

Keith turns to him in awe, leaving his hand outstretched for a puppy to chew on. “I can’t believe you...this is…”

“I know. I’m awesome.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

Lance smiles softly and holds his own hand out to the dogs gathered in front of him. “Well, I figured everything has gone well so far, and I’ve had a dog every time we hung out, so…”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Lance stands up, and Keith pets the puppies goodbye before following. “What? That I think dogs are my good luck charm? That I think maybe you just hang out with me for the dogs?”

Keith rolls his eyes, walking over to the next pen full of lab puppies. “You’re right, it’s all about the dogs. I gotta admit, this is probably the best day of my life.”

Lance chuckles. “I get it, dogs are your favorite animal.”

Keith continues to pet the dogs, shaking his head. “Dogs aren’t my favorite animal. Pretty close, though.”

Lance stares at him. “They’re not? Dude, but you’re like… _really_ into dogs. Don’t tell me you like cats even more.”

“Cats are alright,” Keith says with a shrug, rising to his feet. “I had a pretty cool cat when I was growing up, but I definitely prefer dogs.”

Lance stops in front of a blind german shepherd's cage. “Oh? So what’s your favorite, then? No, wait, let me guess!” He lets the dog sniff his palm before reaching out to pet it. “Wolves? You know, since you’ve got that ‘lone wolf’ thing going for you. Or maybe hawks, since they’re so fast and cool looking? Wait, is it sharks? Sharks are my favorite! They’re so cool.”

Keith shakes his head. “Hippos.”

Lance turns to him. “Hippos.”

Keith nods.

“That’s...why?”

Keith shrugs. “They’re big and fat and dumb but also super fast and murder a bunch of people. It’s scary but also fun.”

“Like you.”

Keith furrows his brow. “What?”

“Ah- I didn’t mean that! Well, I sorta did, but like, not in a mean way? I just meant that you’re, you know, you seem like the dark brooding type, but when I talk to you you’re so fun and silly. I wasn’t trying to insult you, I swear, I-”

Keith grabs the collar of Lance’s jacket and pulls him forward to kiss him.

Lance startles, but doesn’t pull away. After a moment, he relaxes, leaning forward and kissing back. 

When he finally does leans away, his mouth immediately stretches into a glowing smile. His whole face is bright red, and he’s clearly trying to pretend he’s not freaking out inside. “Oh. Cool. Okay.”

Keith rolls his eyes and grabs his hand, pulling him forward to the next cage. “You’re such a doofus.”  
__________

Keith wraps his arms around his head, using his elbows to cover his ears. It doesn't work.

_BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG_. “Keith? I know you're in there!”

His arms tighten. He knows he's being childish, he _knows_ -

“Keith, please just open the door. I'm worried that you need need help or something, I don't know what's going on but I need to know you're safe.”

Keith sighs and trudges to the door, swinging it open to reveal Lance standing there, fist still raised. He seems disheveled; Keith wouldn't be surprised to find out he ran the entire way here after being brushed off earlier on the phone. 

“Okay, you're alive. That's a start.”

Keith rolls his eyes and moves back to his place on the couch. It's not a surprise when Lance follows.

“Now that means you have to talk, though. What's going on?” Lance plops next to him, close but yet initiating contact. If his boyfriend wants him close, Lance knows that Keith will ask. Best not to push it until then.

Keith slumps forward to lean his forehead on Lance’s shoulder. “I’ve lived here for almost a year.”

Lance nods. “Yeah?”

“It’s just…” Keith says, rolling his head in to rest against Lance’s neck. “It feels like everything has changed so much. If you went back and told me from one year ago what my life would be like, I probably wouldn’t believe it. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t believe it would be this good.”

Lance lifts an arm and glances down to Keith, who nods. He lets it fall against Keith’s back. “And you’re upset because…?”

“Because...it wasn’t supposed to be like this! Yes, I’m okay with where my life is right now, because I have you, and Shiro, and this town is nice, and my job doesn’t suck, but...it’s not what I expected. Even if it’s good, there’s still a lot missing. I wanted what I already had to _become_ good, not to lose the whole life I already had and start from scratch.”

“So you need to make this part feel like it’s your life, and not just some limbo where you wait for it to start,” Lance says.

“I...I guess? It’s not as if I’m not doing anything, but...nothing I’ve ever done so far has lead up to this. It’s just scary how life changes, and then something familiar comes along and you realize how this is somehow still the same life. I want this to feel like more than just new, I want it to feel right.”

“It doesn’t feel right?”

“I guess that isn’t the best way to describe it. The thing is...when I think of the word ‘home,’ I want to think of this place, and not the things that came before it. They aren’t my home anymore, but it still feels that way. And I don’t know how to change that.”

Lance nods and removes his arm from Keith’s side. “Alright, get up. Let’s go.”

Keith startles under the motion and lifts his head to see Lance already standing, extending a hand. “What? Where are we going?”

He has the audacity to wink. “You’ll see.”

Ten minutes in the car and they’re pulling up to a familiar building. Keith sighs, but it comes out as more of a laugh. “Lance, you can’t just take me to pet dogs every time I’m upset.”

Lance chuckles. “Well, it works, doesn’t it? Besides, that’s not why we’re here.”

The building isn’t as crowded as it was at the adoption event, with only the usual cages lining the walls. Quieter than before, but still fairly chaotic. The best kind of chaos there was.

“Well,” Lance says, throwing his arms out in a sweeping gesture. “Pick a dog.”

Keith stares at him. “What?”

“Pick a dog,” he repeats, a bright grin growing on his face. “Whichever one you want. I’ll cover the adoption fee and buy supplies after this.”

Keith shakes his head. “Lance, I can’t just _get a dog_.”

“Why not?” He walks to the nearest cage, and a beagle walks over to meet him. “You’ve got the space.”

“I shouldn’t-”

“Your complex doesn’t even have a fee for pets, right?”

“Lance, come on-”

“I can’t imagine anything making this place feel more like home than if you actually had someone to go home to. Someone who made you really happy.”

“This isn’t realistic.”

Lance huffs and turns to him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yes it is, Keith. You just think it isn’t because it’s _spontaneous_. But it’s definitely realistic. Your apartment is big enough for a dog, you go out in the mornings anyways so you already know when you’ll have time to walk it, you have plenty of yard space in your complex, you don’t spend your money on anything else so I _know_ you can afford it. You love dogs. You want this place to feel more like home. There is literally no reason _not_ to get a dog.”

Keith groans. “I shouldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s not a good enough answer.”

“I know that! But still-”

“Do you want a dog?”

Keith freezes. Lance is staring at him, and Keith thanks their lucky stars that nobody else is there at the moment. The dogs are still yelping and barking, waiting for Keith to come pay attention to them.

He sighs. “Yeah. I really want a dog.”

Lance smirks. “Good. Now let’s find your new best friend!”

It turns out that Keith doesn’t just want _a_ dog. No, he wants every dog. It doesn’t take long to accept that this is really happening, so now the real challenge starts. Which dog in this building is his soulmate?

Just as it starts to feel like Lance is asking the impossible of him, the entire pretense of a choice fades. Keith doesn’t even need to spend more time with this dog to know that he is going home with it today. He probably would have even if Lance hadn’t already talked him into this.

It’s a pitbull, curled up in a ball towards the back corner of the cage, sleeping. Still a puppy, with blueish gray fur. When Keith crouches in front of the cage, it perks up, and he can make out white patches on its chest. 

The puppy springs up and ambles up to the cage door, revealing a missing leg on its front right side. That doesn’t seem to slow it down, as it walks right up to Keith and starts licking his fingers through the bars.

“Ahh,” a woman behind Keith speaks up, startling him. “He hasn’t been here long, but longer than most puppies are. Disabled dogs always stay longer. He was brought in as a stray a few months ago.”

Keith slowly turns on the balls of his feet to face her. She’s an older woman with a warm smile, though her eyes seem tired. “Would you like to play with him in a room?”

Keith’s eyes widen. “I want nothing more in the entire world.”

Her smile widens. “Okay, let me move him for you, and you can follow me.”

Keith stands to let her in the cage, and walks as fast as he can to the other side of the room. Lance is there, kneeling in front of a boxer who wiggles back and forth in excitement.

“Lance, come with me right now.” He doesn’t even allow Lance time to move or respond, just grabs his hand and starts pulling. Lance stumbles after, asking questions that fall on deaf ears. Keith is a man on a mission.

The room is small, but plenty big enough for the puppy to wander around. Lance stands in the corner, while Keith immediately plops onto the floor for the dog to crawl into his lap. His heart breaks at the thought that such a loving dog hadn’t been adopted yet. At the same time, though, he can’t believe how lucky he is.

“I just wanted to spend more time with it,” Keith announces. “I already know this is the one. I want to raise this dog like it’s my child. I want to see it grow up healthy. I want to protect it from every bad thing in the universe.”

Lance laughs. “Cool, I see we’ve found the one. Have you come up with a name yet?”

“Hmmm.” Keith pauses, studying the bright blue eyes that gaze back at him. “Leo.”

Lance mulls it over. “Huh. I like it. Why Leo?”

Keith shrugs. “It means lion, which everyone thinks are really scary but aren’t. Just like pitbulls. Besides,” he adds, glancing towards his boyfriend with a soft smile, “Leo is your star sign.”

Lance rolls his eyes, but still falls on the floor beside him to press a kiss into his hair. “Happy birthday, you dork.”  
__________

“You know, your dog really likes me.”

Lance is spread out on the couch, with Keith curled into his side. Leo sits on Lance’s lap, his head on Keith’s knees. Both of them have been working harder than usual, so the quiet downtime is a blessing.

Keith snorts. “I would hope so. You spend almost as much time with him as I do.”

“Oh please, that dog doesn’t leave your side.” The dog readjusts its body so it can more comfortably sleep on Keith’s leg. “Literally.”

Keith shrugs. “So? I love him.”

Lance smiles. “I know. I love him too.” He nudges Keith with his foot. “And you, dummy.”

Keith glances at him, his eyebrows wrinkling together. “Are you trying to say something? Just tell me.”

Lance freezes, staring for just a moment before looking away. “Nothing. Never mind.”

“Hey, no, too late to back out now,” Keith says with a flick to Lance’s temple. “Come on, just say what you want to say. Why are you talking about my dog liking you? You already knew that.”

“Nothing!” Lance argues. “I was just pointing it out! It makes me happy!”

Leo startles at the sound and looks up at Lance, who pats him on the back. “Sorry, buddy.”

“Are you trying to steal my dog from me?”

“ _No,_ ” Lance says, rubbing his palms over his eyes. “Look, can we just pretend I didn’t say anything?”

“Nope.”

Lance sighs. “You’re never going to let this go, are you?”

“Not until you tell me what you want to say.”

“Fine,” Lance agrees, and his face falls. Worry starts to build in Keith’s stomach. Maybe this was more serious than he thought it would be.

“We haven’t seen each other very much lately.” He refuses to meet Keith’s eyes, but his face turns bright red.

Keith feels his heart drop. “I know.”

“And I get it, we’re both busy,” Lance continues. “I’m back in school and you’re working more hours. I don’t want either of us to sacrifice that, but I wish we had more time to spend together. It’s hard not seeing you all the time.”

The saliva in Keith’s throat chokes him up, and he feels electricity spark on his tongue. He won’t let himself look upset. “So that’s been...hard for you to deal with?”

Lance nods. “Yeah, sorta. I thought we should talk about it.”

The knot in his throat grows bigger, and talking about it, talking about anything, may be impossible if the words can’t even form. Keith chokes it back. “Yeah, okay. So you’re saying...maybe we should break up.”

“What?” Lance jumps at that, this time scaring Leo enough to send him running off. Lance doesn’t even notice. “Where did you get that from?”

But the idea has already been planted in Keith’s head. “You’re upset that we don’t have enough time with each other, right? I don’t want to make things harder on you, I get it. It’s fine if-”

His voice cuts off as Lance claps a hand over his mouth. Keith freezes, finally noticing the burning sensation in his eyes. He looks up to Lance, who smiles back down at him.

“No, silly,” Lance says, dropping his hand. “You’re one of the few people keeping me sane. I’m not about to let you go, because that would mean never seeing you at all.”

Keith steps back. “Then what-”

“Here,” Lance cuts him off, one hand reaching into his pocket. Keith’s eyes trail his arm, and something catches the light.

Lance holds out a key. “I want you to move in with me. So that we can see each other more often.”

Keith chokes on a sob and lightly shoves him. “You jerk, then why didn’t you just say that? You scared me!”

“Well I was-”

“And what was that ‘your dog likes me’ stuff? Is that really how you planned to ask, by convincing me my dog would approve? Of course he would, he loves you! And I love you! So why were you even nervous about asking?”

“So is that a-”

“Of course I’ll move in with you, idiot!” Keith stands and snatches the key from Lance’s hand, turning back around to pace. “I can’t believe you even thought I would say no. Don’t ever scare me like that again!”

He points an accusatory finger in Lance’s face before his own expression crumples. He tosses the key on the coffee table. “I can’t believe you even…”

Keith grabs the collar of Lance’s jacket and pulls him in for a kiss, pressing their bodies together before knocking him back onto the couch. He crawls on top of him before pulling their lips together again. 

When they finally pull apart, Lance is redder than Keith has ever seen him. Lance’s face is frozen in shock, but a grin cracks through. “Okay, cool. Then we’d better get to work, roommate.”  
__________

Keith is in a bad mood. Some curse from above sent every rude, drunk customer on the planet his way, and he wants to sleep. His head is pounding, and the usual coffee that got him through the night had barely lasted two hours into a grueling shift. His feet are sore, aching from overuse. If people thought New Year’s night was a busy night for bars, they had never seen the cheap local diners in the middle of the night afterwards. _Especially_ the ones close to a college campus.

Drunk people love cheap food at 3 am. Therefore, Keith hates drunk people.

He’s been there for almost four years now, and more and more lately he questions if he should look for something new. Maybe start classes at Lance’s university. Maybe see if Shiro has a position for him. Anything to be free of the drunk people.

It’s almost 7 am now, one of the longest shifts he’s ever worked, and Lance is nowhere to be found. Even worse, _Leo_ is nowhere to be found. All Keith wants is a shower and a nice, long sleep with his boyfriend and his dog, and both are missing.

Well, Keith can at least get the shower part done. Lance probably took Leo for a walk, knowing Keith would be too tired to do it. Part of him feels guilty for being annoyed, but the exhausted part of him is too tired for guilt.

The shower is hot, hot enough to burn his skin a little, and it’s exactly what he needs. He doesn’t know how long he stands under the spray, but it doesn’t matter.

He hears the door open while he’s towel-drying his hair. It’s quiet, which means Lance is probably sleepy and Leo probably ran too much and exhausted himself. Good. It’s an optimal situation for naps.

When Keith leaves the bathroom and walks back to the bedroom, it’s empty. He pokes his head out into the hall, but there are no sounds coming from the kitchen. Did they really already leave again?

Keith is about to lose it when Leo walks into the room. Well, at least someone is still here. He leans down to pet his dog, who he loves so, _so_ much, but freezes. Something small is sitting in his mouth. Too small to be any of Leo’s toys.

Keith hates this dog so, _so_ much.

Of course, as soon as Keith notices it, Leo decides to run off. For a second, just a brief second, Keith considers letting him have whatever it is, knowing he’ll find the chewed up remains later. But no, it was small enough that he could choke on it, so it’s time to run.

Keith is not messing around today. If he had been in a better mood, maybe he would have let this go on for a bit. Leo is surprisingly fast and agile given he only has 3 legs. On any other day, Keith would have been proud.

Today, though, this is war, and any advantage the enemy has over him only fuels his frustration.

Before Leo can even round the corner, Keith dives to the floor and wraps his arms around the dog, pulling him backwards. It’s not the most graceful maneuver, but it works. Keith pulls Leo into his lap and braces him in place with his legs, using his hands to pry open the jaws wrapped around whatever he found.

“Gotcha! You bad dog, what did you find?

Is it from the bathroom? Keith can’t make out a label from between rows of teeth. It’s too hard to be a sock. Did he-

It’s a box.

Keith has never seen this before. It’s a small box, rounded on the corners. A small golden hinge keeps it sealed shut.

Leo has given up on the object and has now taken to licking Keith’s face. Keith pets him and nudges him away, standing up to open the mystery box.

There’s a thin, dark silver ring sitting inside.

Keith can’t think, doesn’t want to, so all he does is stumble out into the hallway. Turns out Lance actually is in the kitchen, though he isn’t cooking. He isn’t doing _anything_. Just sitting there, staring into his hands.

He startles when Keith walks in, his eyes drifting to the box dangling from Keith’s fingers. They widen.

“I-”

“Lance,” Keith cuts him off. “What did you do?”

Lance stands up. “I took Leo for a walk, and we, uh, made a quick stop. I was hoping you would be back when we got home.”

“Lance…”

“I heard you in the shower, so I gave that to Leo and told him to go find you. Sorry if he chewed it up a little. I freaked out.”

“Is this-”

“Keith,” Lance interrupts him. He stands and walks over, pulling the box from his fingers. The top springs open and Lance holds it out. “Will you marry me?”

Keith freezes, eyes unable to move from the shining band held in front of him. His hand reaches out, fingers shaking, to pull it up. The lump in his throat is so big, there’s no way it can even produce a sound.

“Yeah,” he croaks. Okay, or maybe he can make sound. That’s good, at least.

Lance lets out a shaky breath, and all the tension from his body drains. “Okay. Okay, cool, you said yes.”

Keith looks up. His vision wobbles, and, oh, he’s crying. “Cool?”

Lance drop his forehead to lean on Keith’s shoulder. He pulls the ring from Keith’s hands and slides it onto his still-shaking finger. “Yeah,” he agrees. “That’s really cool.”

Keith laughs, tears dripping down his cheeks. “You say that all the time.”

Lance is shaking now. “I know. You’re just...really, really cool.”

Leo trots into the room, and Lance pulls back from Keith’s shoulder to lean down next to him. “Wait, I forgot something,” he says, sitting on the floor and straightening his back into perfect posture.

He clears his throat. “Sir, hello, it’s great to see you. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Leo just sits in front of him, panting.

“Yes, well,” he continues, putting on a overly formal tone. “I plan on asking for Keith’s hand in marriage, and so I wanted to ask your permission first. I will propose either way, but having your blessing would mean the world to me.”

Leo licks his face and crawls into his lap, and Lance looks back to Keith from his spot on the floor. “Leo approves, but he says he gets to be the ring bearer.”

Keith rolls his eyes. “Please. We already saw what he did with one. They’ll never make it to the front of the aisle. He gets to be the best man.”

Leo barks, and Lance nods appreciatively. “He’ll take that deal.”

Lance stands up, sending Leo back onto his feet, and approaches Keith again. They stare for a moment, eyes flicking between each other and the ring. Finally, Lance grabs Keith and pulls him in for a hug.

“Well, Keith? Would you say you finally consider this as much of a home as your old one?”

Keith leans forward to sob into Lance’s neck and shakes his head. 

“It’s so much better than that.”

**Author's Note:**

> God this made me want a dog _so bad_.
> 
> Anyways, more stuff on the way! I still plan on finishing my Orange Leaves series, though I'm not sure when something will be up for that. Aside from that, I'm working on my first BNHA fic! Which should hopefully show up soon! Then maybe more Voltron? Or something else? That's a long way off.
> 
> As always, [I am on tumblr!](https://zurela.tumblr.com/) And also hoping to be more active there!


End file.
